Rise of Spades
by CrackedCompass
Summary: Against all tradition and odds, Alfred and Arthur have fallen in love and are next in line to be King and Queen to the Kingdom of Spades, however, the Kingdom is on the brink of a violent revolution. Can Alfred and Arthur defy the odds and save their new Kingdom before it is too late? (Prologue to Diamond Ball)
1. Chapter 1

For as long as he could remember, Alfred knew that he was destined for something great; to be something great. He was told that as soon as his parents spotted the King of Spades birthmark above his heart that he was going to be a great King. He was determined to be a powerful but kind King and be loved by his people. As a child he followed his predecessor like a puppy, taking mental note of his posture, his smile, his voice, trying his best to mimic everything he did; much to the joy of the women of the castle. But as he grew he began to see and understand more about how the King did his job, and how he treated his duty to the people of the kingdom of Spades and by the time he turned seventeen, he began to see that the kingdom was ruled by tradition, and not all of it did Alfred agree with. However, his aspiration seemed to become more and more distant as he came to realise what the reality of being a king is really like. Until he met his queen, and his purpose became clear to him again.

"Prince Alfred, this is Prince Arthur; he is going to be the next Queen."  
Their eyes met and Alfred felt his world slow down and heartbeat race.  
The young teenager before him sucked in a sharp breath, as his deep green eyes widened from underneath his thick eyebrows, taking in Alfred's entire stunned stare. The teenagers did not notice the courtiers around them frown in confusion over their silence.  
To Alfred, Arthur looked perfect… his soft bright blonde hair fell lightly along his smooth and milky skin and Alfred couldn't help but take notice of every single one of Arthur's soft features, from his small pixie nose to how his cheeks reddened the longer they stared at each other in shocked silence. It was as though they were in a trance.

"Is something wrong?"

"No!" Alfred and Arthur squeaked, as their cheeks flushed in vibrant shades of red.  
Even Arthur's voice sent a shiver down Alfred's spine, making him quiver from the charming and regal accent. Alfred quickly pinpointed his accent to belonging to the woodland village region of the Spades Kingdom, no wonder his skin was so different to Alfred's, which was tanned from the exposure to the sun that plagued the capital of the Kingdom.  
Amazingly Arthur seemed to be just as flustered as Alfred.

"Splendid, now all of your royal studies will be spent together," The tutor explained, clapping her hands together in joy. "In a year's time you will begin to officially shadow the King and Queen, and then your training will be complete."

"I…" Alfred murmured, struggling to hear himself think over the intense anxiety brought upon by his beating heart and Arthur's stare. Alfred lifted his hand to shake Arthur's, "I look forward to working with you."  
Arthur smiled as he took Alfred's hand, shocking Alfred by how soft and fragile his skin was.

Alfred could not sleep the night after first meeting Arthur; it was as though something had awoken from deep within him. He had become so excited; he could only liken it to the excitement of how a puppy feels when he sees his master with a stick. Something about Arthur drew Alfred to him, he made him feel like being a King is going to be fantastic, it awakened the hope that he thought he lost as he grew up.

He didn't understand what it was about the young prince that gave him such ambition, but he knew that this was a chance for him to complete his childhood dream of being a special King. He was angered by the fact that he was not allowed to meet Arthur earlier and he hardly ever saw his younger brother since he began training to become the next Ace, and that was because of tradition. Tradition dictated the lives of the Spade monarchs, and Alfred could only imagine that the other monarchs experience the same thing.  
Alfred also couldn't help but wonder whether the other monarchs felt the same way about their queens as he did.

After a year, Alfred's feelings for Arthur did not subside but only grew stronger; his cheeks flushed every time he and Arthur spoke, and constantly found himself staring at Arthur. Luckily for him, Arthur would always stare back. Alfred was convinced that Arthur felt something towards him: the young Prince would smile when he caught Alfred in a stare, compliment him, and talk to him sweetly…  
However, once studies were over; they were separated before they could speak without interruption and it made Alfred's heart ache in pain and need, and by the disappointed look in Arthur's eyes as they were escorted apart, he was in pain too.

He watched Arthur as he was led away by his advisors and courtiers, watching his long royal cloak float around his black shoes as he walked. The sight always brought pain to Alfred's heart and he had to fight the urge to run to him and demand that the conversation continue. It angered him, Arthur is his Queen, and they're expected to work together for the good of the Kingdom: they should at least get to know each other before they're forced into the throne-room together for the rest of their lives.

Alfred finally had his chance, when they were introduced to a lesson that was focussed on the art of dance, since the Spades Ball was coming in the next month, it would be proper for the future King and Queen to learn the proper etiquette.

"Since the Spades Ball is coming up in the coming weeks, it is proper that you two learn how to properly waltz."

"Will we be attending the ball?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, and no," the tutor replied, "you will see the ball from the balconies above."

"But we won't be able to meet the other Kings, Queens and Jacks; we haven't even met our own Jack!" Alfred pointed out. "Even the Ace…"

"Sir Yao is in intense training at this current moment, he does not have time to formally meet you two, but don't worry, the time will come." The Tutor replied firmly, reacting to Alfred's visible irritation. "And Sir Matthew is training as well. In fact, you two are in training, so now please try to focus."  
He watched in silence as Arthur removed his cloak, revealing the slender frame that was hidden underneath, he wore a simple tanned waistcoat, with a soft and flowy white shirt, with dark tanned pants and brown boots that reached his knees. Alfred couldn't help but smile sweetly when he noticed the wide white bow that was tied around the collar of Arthur's shirt.

"Place your hand on his shoulder…" the tutor ordered, guiding Alfred's hand around Arthur's waist, "and you here, I'm sure that you both understand how this works."

Alfred and Arthur naturally fell into the standard waltz position, staring at each other, both unable to hide their excitement over some long-awaited intimacy.

"Hello…" Arthur chuckled, pressing his chest against Alfred's in an effort to somewhat match up to their height difference.  
Until the tutor slid a thick hard-covered book between their chests and explained that this is the distance expected from them. The tutor chuckled, "think of this as a game and do not let the book drop."

"Do you have a thinner book?" Alfred asked, raising his eyebrow cheekily, making Arthur gasp with laughter.

"Very smart, Prince Alfred," the tutor murmured, her eyes narrowing at the Princes' remark. "Now, this is a very simple waltz."

Alfred's eyes narrowed, remembering that it was odd for a King and Queen to be attracted to each other, however, he was prepared to destroy that idea, knowing that eyes were on him, Alfred looked down at Arthur and smiled sweetly, only for the prince to flash him a smile in return.  
Alfred's heart fluttered as he and Arthur stepped to the music, gliding across the dark wooden floors of the large dance hall, watching the world of detailed paintings and gas lights circle around them.  
Eventually it felt as though the tutor wasn't there giving them instruction, they only focussed on each other as they slowly circled around the room, sliding along the polished wooden floors. Arthur pushed himself into Alfred, squashing the book between them as their eyes locked in an intense stare.

"Feet! FEET!" The tutor stepped as Arthur took one bold step forward without instruction, locking his leg around Alfred's forcing the taller prince to the ground, where Arthur fell on top of him, shrieking in surprise. Alfred smiled and wrapped his arms around Arthur, keeping him in place.

"I want to speak more with you," Alfred admitted.

After a moment of silence, as the tutor ran to them, Arthur whispered, "meet me in the library an hour after curfew. I want to speak to you too."

"I will," Alfred promised, as Arthur rose before rolling off of Alfred, letting the Prince rise off of the floor.

Alfred could only spend the rest of the dancing lesson with a wide smile on his face, unable to hide his excitement. He held Arthur closely as they glided across the floor, following the instruction of the Tutor.

As Alfred expected, as soon as the lesson was over, they were escorted in different directions: not left any time to speak to each other. However, this time Alfred wasn't left feeling so disappointed, for he knew that he would finally have his chance to speak to Alfred without the interference of Tutors and advisors.

Alfred waited for the guards to finish their rounds, hiding behind the door to his chambers, internally planning the route that he was going to take to get to the library. As the guards footsteps became harder to hear, Alfred slowly opened the dark and heavy door to his chambers; peering his head through the gap to look around.  
The castle looked dramatically different at night, the darkness was interrupted by small gas lamps and lighting that littered the long hallway. The walls were decorated with the faces of former monarchs and scenic paintings of the Kingdoms landscape.

Alfred slid through the small gap in the door and slowly closed the door behind him, being sure the check if his long dark blue cloak wasn't caught before he sprinted down the hall, his care feet making little noise on the royal blue carpet that blanketed the dark polished wood. He ran as fast and as quietly as he could, careful to keep his eyes and ears open for any guards.

Alfred quickly ran to the side and pressed his back against the wall when he heard approaching voices.  
 _"It's not looking good, there was another revolt; this time in the Capital."_

 _"What was it over this time?"_ Another voice asked, Alfred's eyes widened when he recognised the deep and manly voice to belong to the current King of Spades.

 _"Food."_

 _"Well, surely it means nothing, angry people will do angry thi—"_

 _"They hung the baker: the mob was convinced that he was hoarding the grain and bread: this is the third mob-hanging this month. It is getting worse; it won't be long until they are pounding down the palace doors."_  
Upon hearing the advisors confession, Alfred placed his hand over his mouth as he watched the candle light approaching from the hallway, and he prayed that the King and his advisor won't turn into his hallway. 

_"The Jack has become impatient, she is retiring soon and I don't think she will be able to last, she is worrying me and hasn't slept in weeks. How is Sir Yao's training, how soon do you think he can take over?"_

 _"He is exceptional. You, your Queen and the next Monarchs will be in good hands with him."_

 _"And Prince Alfred and Arthur?"_

 _"Soon they shall start shadowing you; soon you will be able to retire your majesty, hopefully before hell rises…"_

Alfred silently breathed a sigh of relief when the King and his advisor continued to walk down the straight hallway, not looking to the side to see Alfred standing in the darkness.

 _"Yes, your highness."_

What Alfred had heard disturbed him; however, he could not dwindle on it for too long: perhaps Arthur knows more about the situation. When it was safe to move, Alfred jumped out from his safe-spot against the wall and continued to run down the hallway.

Alfred could only sigh with relief when he pulled on the heavy wooden doors to the royal library, and slid himself in between the gaps. He found himself shrouded in the darkness of the library, the gas lights had been turned off, the candles blown out and the only light was offered from the moonlight that came in through the tall windows that revealed the dark but glittering night sky.

Alfred slowly walked past the dark wooden desks, making his way towards the bookshelves, hearing his feet pat on the cold wooden flooring. The bookshelves stood twice as tall as Alfred, almost reaching the balconies above, which offered only more bookshelves, private reading places and study desks. Alfred was surprised that the library wasn't offered to universities in the Spades capital… perhaps it is for security reasons…  
That was something that Alfred decided that he could change when he is crowned King.

"Alfred!" Alfred heard a hushed voice ask, Alfred sharply turned around, looking around for any sign of Arthur; his heart about to beat clear out of his chest. But he couldn't see him. _"Up here!"_

Alfred looked up to see the glowing light of a candlestick on the balcony, which was held by Arthur, who looked down at Alfred with a wide smile on his face. Without hesitation, Alfred ran up the staircase that led to the balcony, delighted to see that Arthur was running to meet him. Excitement overfilled his heart when Arthur placed the candle on a table before running into Alfred's arms, holding onto him tightly.

"I've waited for so long…" Arthur whispered into Alfred's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I tried to come as fast as I could."

"No, not that. For this; to see you!" Arthur pointed out, as Arthur parted slightly to look at each other, with Arthur's arms still linked around Alfred, keeping him close, "I hate this, and they escort us away before we can talk: _damned tradition!"_

"Oh, Arthur…" Alfred sighed, placing his hand on Arthur's cheek, feeling the heat underneath Arthur's skin gravitate towards his hand, even under the dim moonlight and the light of the candle, the stunning green in Arthur's eyes was still noticeable, and beautiful. "It's been hard on me too, we aren't allowed to speak during lessons, and we cannot speak after, it is torture! How are we supposed to learn to work together if we cannot learn about each other!? Ever since I first saw you I…"

"I felt that too…" Arthur admitted, his eyes narrowing dreamily as he tilted his head into Alfred's hand, embracing his touch. "I've never felt this way about anyone before; I never thought that I could…"

"Me neither…" Alfred replied, his eyes widening as his heart begged for Alfred to take some action, satisfy his needs for love and affection from Arthur. However, it was Arthur who gave in first; standing on his toes and placing his hand on the back of Alfred's neck, pulling him down until their lips met.

It was as though a fire was ignited within Alfred, he hungrily kissed back, running his hands down Arthur's back, holding him closely as he tilted his head to allow Arthur to kiss deeper. To Alfred, Arthur tasted like sugar, addictive and delicious: it awakened Alfred's senses and sent his beating heart into overdrive.  
"Do Kings and Queens ever do this?" Alfred whispered, taking a break from their passionate kiss to breathe, as Alfred and Arthur waddled back towards a study desk.

 _"No, not ever,"_ Arthur whispered, before hungrily pulling Alfred back in to continue the kiss, grabbing needily of the collar of Alfred's shirt. Alfred propped Arthur on top of a desk, kissing him hungrily and needily, absolutely dissolving into Arthur's addictive taste and scent, and loving every second of it.  
Momentarily they broke their kiss, rubbing their noses together consuming each other's breath, reviling in the fact that they are going to be a King and Queen that is unlike any other.


	2. Chapter 2

As the tutor spoke, Arthur found his eyes constantly wandering to the side, looking at Alfred as he watched the tutor, his eyes wide with attentiveness and ambition. It made Arthur's legs weak. He thought about his sweet lips colliding with his and it sent his fragile heart racing, it had been a special arrangement between them to meet nightly in the same place; and have been successful in doing so for just over a month.  
Their change in relationship was noticeable; when they sat near each other the atmosphere in the room changed as all eyes fell on them, as though waiting for them to do something. Alfred and Arthur knew to not display their affections in front of the eyes of others.

Arthur could feel his heart beginning to pound so hard, it was about to burst out of his chest, it was a mixture of the adrenaline of their relationship and the attraction to Alfred. How would the advisors react? How would the Jack react, how would the people react if they knew of their passionate relationship? Arthur knew that there has been no other King and Queen that have done the scandalous and passionate things that they have done…

"As you know, the new Jack is being anointed this coming Friday," The Tutor explained.

"The Jack that we have not met yet," Alfred grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest, visibly agitated.

"The current Jack has fallen ill, and is not expected to perform any more duties, and so Sir Yao has to be promoted early," the tutor explained in a monotone expression, having become tired of Alfred's grievances.

"Arthur has not even met the Ace yet! He is my younger brother and I have not seen him in months!" Alfred snapped, becoming visibly upset.  
Arthur knew that Alfred's brother was going to be their Ace, and was naturally sympathetic of Alfred's position. Matthew has been in intense training for a long time, and has not been offered the chance to have some time with his brother, and it has taken a toll on Alfred.

"You won't be complaining about that much longer, sir," the tutor explained, taking a deep breath as though to calm himself before speaking. "The Ace's graduation ceremony is due the Friday after next. If he passes his test than he shall be qualified to escort yourself and your Queen like a real Ace."  
Alfred huffed, slumping back into his chair, before the tutor snapped, "Posture. I need to have you two crown-worthy before Friday. We need to show the people that you two are perfect."

"We _are_ crown-worthy," Arthur pointed out firmly, "we have been trapped in rooms and libraries for our entire lives learning the same traditions time and time again!"

"You may appear crown-worthy, but your attitudes suggest you are not," the tutor snapped, "Now, you must listen to what is expected of you during ceremonies. The Jack is anointed, then the Ace is anointed and then the Spring Conference is being held here, and the monarchs of every Kingdom will be in this palace! The stress is going to be immense." The tutor had to breathe before calming down, as though to prevent an imminent panic-attack.

Alfred and Arthur glanced at each other, both in surprise from the tutor's sudden outburst, now Arthur had begun to question whether it would be safe to ask about the limits of their relationship… but whom else could they ask?  
However, Arthur could anticipate what the reaction would be: shock. Kings and Queens are not supposed to _be_ together. Kings and Queens were brought together by the marks on their skin to work together for the good of the Kingdom; not to _be_ together…

Despite this, Arthur and Alfred still met each other in the library late at night, and shamelessly expressed every feeling that they were denied during the day. In the darkness of night they were unafraid to hold each other, whisper sweet things in between their passionate kisses, only to part before the sun rises and live through another day pretending to not be so affectionate to each other. Arthur could only wonder about how long he could last like this…

The day had finally come, when Arthur finally saw the young man that is going to be his Jack as the large doors to the church opened, revealing the figure dressed grandly.  
He began to walk as the crowd stood from their seats, everyone standing in silence and watching as the new Jack walked towards the front of the church.  
Arthur and Alfred sat on thrones, sitting beside the grand thrones of the current King and Queen, sitting behind the current Jack who stood at the top of the alter, holding the formal headpiece of the Jack, signifying the change.  
The entire church was filled to capacity with guards, aristocrats, courtiers, advisors and other nobles, all dressed so extravagantly, it was almost amusing to watch.

He wore magnificent royal blue robes, lined with gold and decorated with Spade emblems. His dark hair was tied back and twisted into an elaborate braid, he slowly walked towards the current Jack, whom stood on an alter as the King and Queen sat on their thrones behind her. Yao kept a straight face as he bowed to the King and Queen, before bowing his head and falling to his knees before the altar.

During the ceremony, Arthur had to fight away the urge to tilt his head and look at Alfred, whom sat next to the King. His heart begged for Arthur to turn over and look at him, desperate to know whether the next King was looking at him. But Arthur could feel the eyes of the Kingdom and his tutor weigh him down, and make him freeze with fear. His eyes wandered around the church and he could see all of their faces looking directly at him, inspecting him, wondering whether he would do well as their next Queen: whether they could rely on him to keep the Kingdom safe.

The duties of the King and Queen are very diverse and interchangeable, sometimes a Queen will be focussed on military and diplomacy, and other times the Queen will focus on religion and development.  
What Arthur choses to focus on will be dependent on Alfred: for they need to divide the duties due to what they are best at, and that was a discussion that Alfred and Arthur still needed to have. However, Arthur learned long ago that the Kingdom relies on the Queen for someone to look up to; it is the Queen who works with the public and determines the morale of the Kingdom.

There was no avoiding the awkward tension in the room, a rumour was floating around the Kingdom that the Jack is retiring early in order to avoid the tremendous job of handling the economic and political downfall of the Kingdom, after a massive industrial boom.  
But Arthur could not deny that the current Jack had retired early because of medical reasons; the poor woman looked as though she hasn't had a decent rest in weeks, her eyes were tired and she looked frail and decades her senior… which also does not help the rumours of a shaky kingdom… for what else could cause a Jack to be so visibly diminished?

Yao closed his eyes as the headdress was placed on his head, signifying the transition, and as the former Jack stepped aside, Yao stood before the King and Queen, before bowing respectfully.  
Yao was no longer a sir, he is now the Jack, and his royal duties have officially begun and he has a lot of work to do.

Time passed so quickly as Arthur lost himself in thought, someone could have told him that he has been sitting there for hours and he would not have questioned it. He only came back to life when the King and Queen rose, prompting for Arthur and Alfred to rise as well, and follow them as they walked down the aisle, leaving the church.

"It's nice to finally see our Jack…" Alfred grumbled under his breath, bowing his head under the weight of everyone's stares.  
Arthur understood why everyone was so quiet… this is the first time that Alfred and Arthur have been put on display as the next King and Queen, and they were being judged.

"Shhh…" Arthur hushed, not wanting to disturb the silence, knowing that they were being watched. However, his eyes widened when he felt Alfred's warm fingers reach for his, "Alfred—"

"We're going to be a different King and Queen, let them see that," Alfred whispered, "Besides, they will probably think nothing of it…"  
Arthur could feel the blood rush to his cheeks, knowing that he was appearing as red as a tomato, thankful that he was finally out of the line of sight of the crowd, and the church doors closed behind them. Alfred opened his mouth to speak to the King, however, as soon as the ceremony ended, the Monarchs disappeared and so did Yao… Leaving Alfred and Arthur to only assume that they were off to discuss business, and this did not help the anxiety that was brewing in Arthur's stomach.

"How bad could the situation be?" Arthur gasped, tightening his grip on Alfred's hand.

"Prince Arthur, come," A voice called, making Alfred and Arthur turn, "you must retire for the day."

"But there's still so much day left!" Arthur pointed out, instinctually gravitating towards Alfred, as the taller man broadened his shoulders and stared down the courtiers.

"Yes, but you have a lot to do, as do you; Prince Alfred," The courtier advised, unable to see the irritation in Arthur and Alfred's eyes, or choosing not to, to Arthur, the advisor sounded condescending, as though they believed that they had the authority to tell them what to do. "In fact, your advisors will agree with us."

"Why must we be separated? We are separated every time! How are we expected to rule together if we cannot know each other?" Alfred asked, stepping forward to shield Arthur with his body, determined to not let go, "we wish to spend some time together, in fact, we wish to have dinner together and have the ability to spend leisure time together! We will not be separated anymore!"

"Sir—"

"That is an order." Alfred interrupted firmly.  
Arthur held on tightly to Alfred's hand, impressed by his authority, the courtiers were left stunned by Alfred's demands and had no other option but to give in. Arthur could not stop smiling or holding onto Alfred's arm as they were escorted together, their courtiers following behind them in a state of shock and confusion.

"We're going to change everything," Alfred grumbled, "and it starts tonight."

News of Alfred and Arthur's change to the schedule and tradition rocked through the castle, and now everyone within the palace walls were speaking their names. But no one dared speak against it.

But then again, no one knew the extent of Alfred and Arthur's relationship.

They refused to be separated after studies and refused to eat alone; they were shaking the system that dictated the lives of all monarchs before them.

Arthur could not stop staring at the smile on Alfred's face when he sat on his throne, watching the hall fill up with aristocrats, courtiers and nobles, anticipating the beginning of the ceremony. Alfred had spoken about how excited he was for this for the past day. He is going to finally see his younger brother, and see what he has been working on for so many years.

Finally, he arrived, the tall blonde man walked into the grand ballroom, wearing dark clothing, protected by white pieces of armour made of pottery that protected his chest and back. He was dressed for battle, and could not look more prepared. The advisors placed two mock crowns on two pedestals right in front of the judges, which were supposed to represent the King and Queen. The table before him there laid a selection of weapons; a sword, a dagger, a spear and a bow and set of arrows. Throughout the course of the test, he is expected to show skill in using each one.

The aim of the test is to see if the Ace is capable of fighting away people who wish to bring harm to the King and Queen. Arthur watched as men walked into the ballroom and lined the walls, all wearing dark clothing with similar pottery armour, also with pottery masks covering their faces.  
Matthew's goal is to defend the crowns by breaking the pottery of every opponent, which signifies death, without breaking his own. Only when he passes the test he will be considered as the Ace, and be allowed to escort Alfred and Arthur.

As everyone began to settle down for the presentation, Arthur couldn't help but feel the difference of the atmosphere without the presence of the current King and Queen, not even the Jack was present. It was daunting to feel all eyes on Alfred and Arthur, as people looked to them for guidance and authority.

Everyone sat in silence as Alfred lifted his hand, signifying for the test to begin, Arthur could not help but smile when he saw Alfred mouth _'good luck'_ to Matthew with an encouraging smile.

"You two look alike," Arthur pointed out, smiling as he glanced between Alfred and Matthew, noting their similarities. Matthew's eyes were a much lighter shade of blue than Alfred's. However, their faces were remarkably similar. Matthew's hair was different also, it was longer, lighter in colour and fluffier and fell onto the sides of Matthew's face; bracketing his cheeks and rounded eyes.

Finally the test began, courtiers sat by a table that sat in front of the altar where Alfred and Arthur sat on their thrones.

The test for the Ace has begun, and Arthur watched as Matthew suddenly changed from a sweet an approachable young man, to a guard-dog.  
This was going to be a show to remember.


	3. Chapter 3

Ever since the crowning of Yao as the new Jack, the atmosphere of the castle has been lowering more and more each day, and now even Alfred and Arthur were exposed to it. People went about their day in an emotionless silence, and it did nothing to aid Alfred's growing anxiety. Something was terribly wrong within his Kingdom, and Alfred and Arthur were not being told what it is, and it was driving Alfred crazy. Only Arthur offered Alfred some form of comfort, in the form of their romantic sessions that they still hold in the darkness of the library… It was the one time of the day that Alfred really looked forward to, feeling Arthur's soft skin, touching his hair, his lips caressing Alfred with the tenderness of a lover… He loved it, he loves the sensations, the scents, the touches, the marks, the noises… he loved everything about it, he loved Arthur.

Alfred shook his head slightly, shaking himself out of his intense thinking, realising that the room had quietened and Matthew's test was about to being. Alfred wanted nothing more than for Matthew to pass the test, because that would mean that he and his little brother could no longer be separated for long periods of time. It would also relive some of the stresses of Alfred's studies if Matthew was there to watch him.  
Alfred tightened his grip on Arthur's hand, watching Matthew select his first weapon: the spear. Matthew closed his eyes and took in a deep breathe, collecting his thoughts before lifting his spear to show the judges and assessors his choice, and to initiate the test.

Suddenly, a drum began to beat as the first four men stepped forward, branding no weapons, all men were well-built and much taller than Matthew… this was supposed to be the easy section of the test.  
The men suddenly ran at Matthew, spreading out around the area, assuming positions before the first ran towards the crowns. Matthew was swift in taking him down and swinging his spear into the attacker, knocking him to the ground, before holding him down with his foot and driving the tip of the spear into the attacker's chest, snapping the pottery into two. The downed attacker rolled away as two more attackers approached the crowns, and Matthew delved further into attack mode. Matthew flawlessly swung his spear around his hips as a display of his skill. Alfred got more and tenser as Alfred fought off the attackers, desperate to keep them away from the crowns. He was graceful and quick, but yet he was as terrifying and ferocious as a dedicated guard dog, the stick of his spear finally collided with one of the attackers faces: smashing the pottery mask. Suddenly he snapped back and the tip of his spear smashed into the pottery chest plate of the second attacker, however, it simply cracked the pottery plate; not enough to count as a kill. And so to make up for this, Matthew took one more step and one more fatal swing forcing the attacker to the ground before stabbing into his chest, finally breaking the pottery plate.

Finally, the last attacker of the round approached, shaking the ground with every step. Matthew's eyes widened and his mouth quivered as though he feared the coming attack. Matthew's fear was understandable as this attacker carried a spear similar to Matthews. As though to stimulate an expert attack against the King and Queen. Alfred could sense Matthew's fear, despite how hard the young man tried to mask it underneath his frown and gritted teeth. Suddenly the attacker broke into a run with his spear at the ready, and Matthew was more than ready to handle the attack as he braced himself and readied his spear. The man stood nearly a head taller than Matthew, and was visibly stronger than him, however, it is the duty of the Ace to defy all odds and protect the royals with their life. Matthew used his spear to initially defend himself, before sliding under the attacker's arms, and pushing him away from the crowns. Matthew finally bent down and kicked the attacker in the chest, pushing him back further before deflecting the attackers spear.  
The audience was stunned by how quick Matthew was able to counterattack and deliver a fatal swing with his sword to the attackers head, smashing the pottery mask into two clean pieces, revealing the attackers shocked face.

Alfred roared as he nearly fell off of his throne, "YES MATTHEW! YOU'RE DOING FANTASTIC!"

Arthur smiled, before joining in, "YOU CAN DO IT MATTHEW!"

Alfred looked to the judges who sat before them, seeing the irritation and frustration in their narrowed eyes, looking at him as though he was a disturbance, rather than their next ruler. Instead of backing down, Alfred narrowed his eyes at those who dared to judge him and Arthur, snarling at them, "I support my brother, no matter what, now if you have something to say to me: say it. But remember that you are talking to your next King."

"Alfred…" Arthur cooed, grabbing onto Alfred's hand, instantly soothing his raging heart. "Shh, they're trying to concentrate: so they can test him…"

"Uh…" Alfred sighed, retreating into his chair as he came to regret his brash actions, realising that Arthur was right.

However, he could not dwell on his feelings for very long as Matthew selected his next weapon and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. With a dagger in each hand Matthew braced himself as four men stepped forward and all ran at him at once. With the precision and skill of an assassin, Matthew charged at the attackers and knocked one down with a fatal swoop, destroying the pottery mask, before attacking the next and stabbing the pottery chest plate. However, when one attacker got too close to the crowns, Matthew threw his dagger and impaled the chest of the unlucky attacker, and found himself weapon-less, however, he wasn't going to let that stop him from protecting the crowns.  
Alfred gasped squeezing Arthur's hand tightly as Matthew dashed behind the last attacker and jumped onto his back, wrapping his legs around the attacker's torso and squeezing tightly, forcing the attacker to fall to the floor, where Matthew grabbed his head and smashed his face into the floor like a savage, immediately breaking the pottery mask, and the attacker's nose.  
Alfred could only watch on as a concoction of amazement, excitement and horror brewed in his stomach as he watched his younger brother defend any attackers with amazing skill and precision. He was ruthless with his attacks and stunning with his form, he shot arrows directly into the attackers, hitting them with the skill of an expect archer, and wielded his sword like an experienced knight.

Internally Alfred was chanting with devotion to his younger brother, determined to see Matthew pass the test and become his Ace; where they finally won't be separated anymore.

As the last attacker fell to his knees and the pottery mask cracked following Matthew's final attack with his sword; the test was over. The audience rose to politely applaud, showing that they were far too autocratic to show too much excitement, however Alfred could not contain himself. He jumped off of his throne and dashed past the tables, much to the shock of the advisors and aristocrats, and ran to his brother who stood in the middle of the room. Matthew dropped his sword and brought his brother in for a tight hug, out of breath and sweaty from the intense exercise.

"How did I do?" Matthew huffed, patting his older brother on the back.

"You did great, you're my Ace now!" Alfred replied, squeezing tightly, but remained mindful of the pottery armour.

Alfred was relieved to finally sit and have dinner with his brother, after years of separation with minimal contact, despite this, it felt like things had never changed between them. The brothers joked like young boys and laughed over silly things and talked about the past, before their fates became known to them. Matthew immediately took a liking to Arthur, which was more than what Alfred had hoped for, it was as though the dropping atmosphere around the castle did not affect the dinner table at which they sat.

Until Matthew asked the question, "Have either of you seen the monarchs recently?"

"No, we haven't heard from any of them since Yao was anointed. In fact, the old Jack disappeared right after the crowning; no one in the castle has seen her…" Arthur explained.

Alfred didn't like the way Matthew's eyes changed, he could see his brother perfectly as he sat across the dinner table, facing Alfred and Arthur who sat next to each other, all of them eating the same vegetable soup appetiser and sipping white wine. "They've increased guard patrols around the castle… there have been riots in the city, some of them even required military intervention."

"What?" Arthur asked as he and Alfred's eyes widened, "why are they rioting?!"

"You two don't know?" Matthew asked, frowning as he put down his spoon. "Following last summer's dry season, crops have not been doing so good, and with a large percentage of the crowns investment going to industrialisation and schooling, the people at the farms were feeling left out. And so they started rioting and a couple of people died, it was not of much concern to the crown. But as the food shortage became more evident, especially in the cities, more and more people are becoming angry with the crown. The Jack, King and Queen are under a lot of stress, so much so that they've ordered for extra security, that is why I had to graduate early and also why Yao had to graduate early too, the last Jack could not take it anymore."

"What…?" Alfred murmured as he rubbed his forehead with his fingers.  
It was worse than he suspected and it explained the dropping atmosphere of the castle, servants kept their heads down and went about their days, most people hardly even looked at Alfred as they passed him, compared to the same time last year, where they would at least acknowledge his presence.

"It's getting worse, a couple of days ago I was training with the royal guard and I watched someone get dragged out of the gates after they broke into the castle, they found a dagger on him." Matthew explained, "I cannot believe that you two have not been informed of this. It's shocking, and pretty lazy. Does your tutor not inform you of current events?"

"We have not been told anything; they want us to be puppets! We've been locked away in study; we haven't been outside the palace walls for years…" Arthur admitted, his voice shaking from the anxiety.

"Have people been lynched? I heard the King speaking about it once!" Alfred pointed out.

"Yes, it seems to be growing in popularity as well," Matthew explained, his eyes darting around the room, to check the doors into the dining room, wary of anyone who may enter. "The current monarchs have left the Kingdom in such a horrible state; they put all of the money in the wrong places and silence anyone who spoke against it. People are becoming tired of it, and hate the monarchy, there's a rebel group that has formed out of people wanting to stage a revolution. They're in their early stages, and the Royal Army is doing their best to quash them, but… the man they caught trying to sneak into the castle belonged to that group, which can only mean that they have influence in the capital…"

Alfred and Arthur were rendered speechless by Matthew's explanation, and were even more shocked to learn about the state of their Kingdom. Animals dying in the countryside from starvation, as well as people dying needlessly from starvation or from the hands of angry mobs, as well as the police force whom died trying to keep the peace. The world outside of the palace walls had become a mess, and Alfred and Arthur were less than a year away from inheriting the disaster.

"The King and Queen have been investing in weaponry and invention. It seems like they don't want to make up for their mistakes, rather silence those who point them out!" Matthew growled, tightening his fists, "they're refusing to see what they've done and they want you two to take over for them!"  
Alfred and Arthur glanced at each other, both in shock over what they just learned, but yet, it answered why they have not been allowed much freedom.  
"As the Ace, it is my duty to give my life to protect you two, and I have a big job ahead of me."

"And… and the Spade Ball is next week, all of the other Kings, Queens and Jacks will be here…" Alfred pointed out.

"Security is going to be immense, and the people are going to be furious, all of the castles wealth is going to be displayed for everyone to see. Holding it here this year is going to be an insult to the rebels," Matthew sighed.

Hours later, under the cover of darkness, Alfred and Arthur knew that they had to meet, that they could not resist sneaking away to meet in the library, meeting in their own special place near the railing of the balcony, that overlooked the majority of the library.  
Alfred rushed to the library, running down the darkened hallways of the castle, determined to see Arthur again in their little paradise. Despite the number of times that Alfred has done this, he could never get over the adrenaline that overcame him as he saw the library doors get closer and closer. His heart rushed as he imagined Arthur gasping as he kissed his neck, breathing deeply as Alfred's arms travelled down his back...

Without words, Alfred ran into Arthur arms and immediately began to kiss him, feeling all of his worries and anxieties melt away at Arthur's warm kiss. Within moments the couple dropped to their knees and held each other tightly as they deepened their kiss, to Alfred, Arthur was all he needed to extinguish the fears and stresses brought upon him throughout the day. Arthur's lips were warm and tasted of the tea he drinks before bed, as Alfred nuzzled into Arthurs neck, he was overwhelmed by the powerful scent of Arthur's vanilla soap. Everything about Arthur awakened Alfred's senses.

Suddenly they dropped to the floor completely, and Alfred took his place on top of Arthur and between his legs, growling happily as Arthur grabbed his face and pulled him back down to resume the passionate kissing. Arthur grunted when Alfred tugged on the young man's white blouse, silently begging to see more skin. Alfred closed his eyes and squeezed Arthur tightly, internally begging to never have to let him go, or be forced apart when they ascend to the throne. Arthur's legs hooked around Arthur and pulled him in, running his hands down Alfred's cheek as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

"Alfred…" Arthur whimpered, running his lips down Alfred's face before trailing down his neck, passionately kissing the soft and tender skin of Alfred's neck. Alfred growled at the tingling sensation; feeling it travel through his entire body, earning a deep guttural groan.

Finally, Alfred opened his eyes and looked down at Arthur, amazed by how easily he could see him in the usually dark library. This made Alfred frown, where was the light coming from? Alfred looked up, seeing that he could easily see the library glowing with a deep amber glow, like fire. However, he could not smell anything that altered Alfred to a fire within the library.  
Arthur did not seem deterred by Alfred's visible awareness, and attempted to pull Alfred's head back down, _"Come back. Kiss me."_

"Arthur, why is it so bright in here?" Alfred asked, looking down at Arthur, Arthur frowned as he registered what Alfred was talking about, before realising it himself. Arthur stuttered as Alfred lifted himself off of Arthur, letting the young man rise off of his back and look around more clearly. Alfred was the first to rise to his feet, and his question was answered as soon as he looked around from a higher point of view.  
A bright amber and red glow originated from the bottom corners of the window, as though the source of the light was coming from the other side of the window.

"My god..." Arthur whispered, taking Alfred's hand, and immediately started to run towards the staircase, dragging Alfred behind him, "We need to get out _now!"_  
Arthur guided Alfred out of the library, immediately starting to run back to their quarters, terrified of the idea of them being caught in whatever danger was brewing outside of the library window.  
Alfred gasped when he could hear noises of men yelling coming from behind him, as though the chaos was slowly spreading throughout the castle, and following Alfred and Arthur. Alfred looked behind him, terrified of what could possibly be going on.

Suddenly, Alfred and Arthur turned the corner to go towards their quarters, knowing that Arthurs was the closest, and they could probably hide there, but they froze when they saw Matthew, who just about had a heart attack when he saw the couple. His eyes were narrowed and scary, just like how they were during Matthew's Ace test; the once kind young man had become a vicious guard dog.  
 _"I just started this job and this happens!"_ Matthew hissed, rubbing his forehead in irritation, _"Where were you two?!"_

"Library." Was the only word that Alfred could mutter as he looked to the floor to avoid Matthews's intense stare; like a child being caught doing something against the rules.

"Get into Arthur's room, you'll both sleep in there so I can keep an eye on you," Matthew ordered as he turned around and marched Arthur towards the large white door at the end of the hallway; Arthur's quarters. "I can't believe this, it's my first night on the job as Ace and I nearly lose you!"

"It's not your fault, we snuck away," Arthur admitted as Matthew escorted Alfred and Arthur into the main bedroom of Arthur's quarters, turning on the gas lighting to illuminate the grand bedroom. Matthew did a quick search of the entire area, searching the bathroom and the study for any sign of intruders as Alfred and Arthur sat on the bed, still linked to each other by the hands. Their heads dropped when Matthew re-entered the bedroom, his angry expression having not changed. He stared at the couple as though he was about to scold them- he was so visibly angry by their actions and disregard for their safety. However, Alfred knew that Matthew was too kind-natured to be too harsh with them.

"Can you imagine the panic attack I had when the alarm sounded and neither of you were in your rooms?" Matthew asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought that I had lost both of you!"

"We did not mean to make you panic, we have been doing this for years and we believed that tonight would be no different," Arthur explained, undeterred by Matthew's eyes, unlike Alfred whom kept his head down, staring at the detailed embroidery of Arthur's bed covers, and how soft it was to sit on.

Matthew frowned, "what _have_ you been doing?"

The room fell silent as both Alfred and Arthur retreated to looking at the pillows, but it was Alfred who acted, lifting his hand to show it still connected to Arthurs.  
"We wanted some time alone…"

"Why?"

"Because we…" Alfred murmured before his throat tightened from the anxiety; this is not how he wanted to introduce his relationship with Arthur. It was unheard of for a King and Queen to be romantically involved; he couldn't imagine how Matthew would react to the news.

"You're in love? Aren't you?" Matthew asked; his voice sounding calm enough for Alfred and Arthur to look up at him again. Alfred could see that the guard dog within Matthew had retreated, and Matthew had returned to his calm and kind self, the complete opposite from the terrifying guard he had trained to become.

"Yes," Arthur answered, glancing over at Alfred, hopeful that he would respond with the same positivity, as the couple had never openly proclaimed their love for each other. However, Alfred knew that his love for Arthur was there, and it only grew stronger with every passing day. His heart pound so quickly, it began to hurt his chest as he stared into Arthur's eyes, before flashing a charming smile.

"I love you too," Alfred whispered, the couple smiled shyly, their cheeks flushing with a vibrant rosy pink, as though it was only the two of them in the room.

"This…" Matthew murmured, chuckling under his breath, "This is different, I suppose it'd make my job easier, you'd want to share quarters… You'd… you'd work well together."  
Alfred could tell that Matthew was visibly shaken by the news; however, he was relieved to see that Matthew was focussing on the positives.  
"And as long as you are happy, I cannot complain."

"Thank you…" Alfred replied, smiling at his younger brother, overwhelmed with the relief of knowing that his brother accepts his tradition-challenging relationship.

"I just don't know whether this sort of thing happens—"

Arthur answered his question bluntly, "It doesn't. But we will make it work."

"Fine, then I shall leave it to you to sort out, but know that you have my support. I always wondered how monarchs handled things like love and feelings…"

"Some monarchs take private lovers; however no one ever expects the King and Queen to choose each other…" Alfred explained, "Now, please tell us what is going on: why did you need to check on us?"

Matthew frowned, not prepared to move subjects so quickly, the longer Matthew stood at the end of the bed staring at the couple, the more concerned they became.  
"The rebels I told you about," Matthew began, "some have tried to storm the palace, the guards have managed to stop them at the gates. It is nothing that we can't handle. It's more of the idea of people sneaking into the castle that made us worry. I had to check whether you two were targets and the men at the gate weren't alone."

"How many are there?" Alfred asked.

"Around a dozen, branding torches and pitchforks, I'll let you two know the facts when I find out, since I don't believe your tutor will tell you much: considering their current record…" Matthew pointed out, before he turned around and started walking towards the door to Arthurs quarters, "you two need to rest, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your relationship. I'll explain that I placed you two into the same bed for protection purposes. Please, get some sleep. And don't go back to the library at night again; if you two want to be alone, I'll arrange it. Don't sneak around anymore."

When Matthew turned off the gas lighting and closed the door to Arthur's quarters, Alfred and Arthur instantly fell back onto the bed, resting their heads on the luxurious pillows, their bodies immediately sinking into the fluffy mattress, before covering themselves with the soft white blanket. They laid next to each other, staring at each other in silence, both internally panicking over what to say, but it was Arthur who broke the silence.

"I… I do love you," Arthur murmured quietly, "I'm sorry that it had to come out like how it did, I wanted to tell you in a more private setting, rather than answering your brother's question."

"No, I'm glad you did, and I should have said it earlier," Alfred explained as he shuffled closer to meet Arthur at the centre of the bed, taking the young blondes face into his hands, encouraging the sweet eye contact, "I love you."  
Arthur smiled widely, making Alfred's heart flutter.  
"I love you, I love you, I love you."

"Heh, stop it…" Arthur grumbled, playfully fighting the grip Alfred had on his face, however, not enough for Alfred to let go. Alfred smiled as he felt Arthur's arms wrap around Alfred's torso, holding him closely.

Alfred slept better than he had in years, as the soft noise of Arthur's breathing guided him to a peaceful sleep, and the warmth of Arthur's body was better than any pillow.  
It was as though the presence of each other dissolved the tension and the anxiety of the world around them.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur stared down at his breakfast, unable to find the urge to eat, all he could think about was the facts that Matthew told he and Alfred last night. He couldn't stop thinking about how he is spoilt for choice when it comes to food, but people outside of the palace walls are starving… He didn't believe that his sense of guilt would allow him to eat anything.  
Arthur knew that Alfred was looking at him, and understood why he hadn't touched anything on his plate.

"We're going to change it when we're crowned. We're going to make it better," Alfred whispered as he reached for Arthur's hand from underneath the table, careful to not allow the advisor who sat across the table from them to notice.

"I know… but…" Arthur whispered, "It's not fair, why can't we change it right now?"

"Because we're not the ones in control, soon we'll be able to do whatever we want. No one can tell us what to do," Alfred promised.

"How did you two sleep last night?" The advisor asked, finally paying attention to Alfred and Arthur's interaction.

"We slept fine, what happened last night?" Alfred asked.

As the advisor stuttered to find an answer, Arthur glanced at Matthew, to see the Ace's eyes narrow, anticipating the advisors lie.

"A servant accidentally lit a piece of the garden on fire, the guards worried that it was an intruder," the advisor lied, smiling as though the situation was completely fine.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, feeling the urge to challenge the advisor, "why would someone want to intrude?" Arthur frowned as he saw the advisor looking straight at him, questioning his curiosity.

"Fascination, the castle is one of the grandest ever seen, of course people would want to sneak a look," the advisor explained, his voice was monotone, as though rehearsed.  
The conspiracy was deeper than Arthur had anticipated.  
Before Arthur could ask any other questions, the advisor rose from his seat and darted a glare towards Matthew, before leaving the dining hall.

"We don't have long before the tutor arrives to collect you," Matthew murmured, watching the door that the advisor left out of, just in case they returned without warning. "They want me to lie to you, they want me to pretend that everything is ok. Four guards were killed last night. It was worse than what I was told."

"How much worse?" Alfred asked, his eyes widening with worry.

Matthew walked towards the table, standing across from the young heirs, he looked around before leaning over the wooden table, he looked at Alfred and Arthur before speaking in a hushed voice. "I've been told by the other guards that it was an actual mob, calling for the King's head, he and the queen haven't emerged yet, just in case if some have gotten into the castle." Matthew explained, "I have five knives on me right now, I've been told to be on high alert in case if you are the targets as well."

Arthur slammed his fist onto the table with a _bang,_ "we haven't even started yet; and they want to kill us!"

"But it's ok, no one outside of the palace knows what you look like yet, that won't be until coronation. We're hoping that the situation will have blown over by then," Matthew explained in a hushed voice before glancing over at the door, paranoid that someone was going to walk in and hear Matthew disobeying his orders of secrecy. "They don't want me telling you anything, I bet that your tutor is sprinting down the halls right now to stop me talking to you for much longer."

"I always knew he was hiding something," Alfred spat.

"He's only following orders," Matthew pointed out; he quickly straightened his back and returned to the wall. "Arthur, aren't you going to have your breakfast?"

"I don't think I can stomach it…" Arthur admitted, pushing his plate away. Arthur feel Alfred tighten his grip on his hand, as the door to their small dining area open and their Tutor walked in. Arthur couldn't ignore the fact that the Tutor looked nervous however, he smiled through it all as he bowed politely.

"If you are ready, let me escort you to the study, someone is waiting for you to give you an announcement," The Tutor explained before Alfred and Arthur rose from their seats, being sure to make sure that their hands weren't connected.

During their journey to the study, Alfred and Arthur shared glances whenever they could; both writhing in anxiety over what news awaited them.  
Arthurs stomach growled from the lack of food, however, it would have been the guilt in his heart that would have hurt more if he ate, whilst knowing that the people outside of the palace are starving and angry. It hurt his heart knowing that the people he was destined to look after were suffering without his knowledge; he internally vowed to change that, no matter what. Despite this, his main concern was the suggestion that someone could be out to assassinate him and Alfred before they've even had the crowns on their heads. It was torture, Arthur watched everyone who passed him with a suspicious eye, wondering whether someone really has managed to sneak into the castle.

"Arthur," Alfred whispered as he held the door to the study open for Arthur, "are you feeling ok?"

"Just anxious, don't worry about me," Arthur murmured as he bowed his head and walked into the study, however, once he lifted his head to see the man who stood beside them, Arthur's eyes widened. The man had long black hair tied into a pony-tail, his deep blue and purple royal clothing was decorated with spades and jewels. However his dark eyes were tired and drained and he did not smile when he saw Alfred and Arthur's faces, as though he was anticipating something bad. His look chilled Arthur to the very core, and told him that he was not going to like the news that he was about to receive.

"Yao…" Alfred murmured, trying to muster a smile despite the tension and anxiety that chilled the air, "it's been a while."

"It has…" Yao replied before bowing his head, "I have bad news, we need to push forward your coronation … by much further than first expected. Recent events have led to many changes, one of these being your succession."

"By how much?" Arthur asked, his thick brows knotting into a frown, as he sucked in a breath to brace for the bad news.

"After the Spades Ball…" Yao sighed. "So… less than two weeks, I'm so sorry." Yao sighed, knowing that this was wrong; Alfred and Arthur are not ready to be crowned, especially with the danger and anger lurking outside of the castle walls. "The crowning ceremony is two days after the monarchs have left following the conference. After that, the King and Queen will have left the Kingdom."  
Arthur wanted to be sick, surely if he had eaten breakfast this morning, it would be all over his shoes. Arthur leant forward and Alfred took him into his arms to prevent him from falling over. Arthur's heart raced and his vision blurred, the weight of the anxiety nearly drew him to fainting.

" _What…?"_ Arthur asked; his hand shaking as he lifted his hand to his face, until his anxiety was replaced with livid anger. Arthur's cheeks burned a vibrant red as he snapped in Yao's direction, "NO!"

"No way," Alfred gasped, his lips trembling as he immediately took Arthurs hand, as though to hold himself back from snapping, "we're not ready! We haven't even shadowed the King and Queen; we're not due to be crowned for at least a year!"

"We cannot be crowned!" Arthur snapped. "This is unfair and stupid!"

"Yao…" Matthew sighed, his eyes wide with nervousness, as though he was silently begging Yao to take back what he had just announced.

"I'm sorry, but I have orders, this has to be done: the Kingdom needs a King and Queen…" Yao sighed, bowing his head.

"What is happening to the current King and Queen?!" Arthur snapped, "Is it that bad?! Why is it being passed onto us!? We can't do this!"

"I… I can't explain…" Yao sighed, holding his hands together at the centre of his stomach, his long violet sleeves meeting in the middle.

"It's the danger, isn't it?" Matthew asked, "The rebels…? Are they in danger?"

"I'm sorry, I protested against the order, I told them that you two were not ready, but they insisted, and the Kingdom needs people to rule it… I never imagined that this would happen…" Yao explained, "The current monarchs demanded an early retirement, they fear that if they are in power for much longer, they will be hunted down by the rebels, and there will be no hope-"

"That's enough," The tutor interrupted.

"Let him speak! We want to know what is happening!" Arthur barked, "We are sick and tired of being treated like fools! We demand to know what is going on! If the situation is so bad: why are Alfred and I the solution, it makes no sense!"

"I wish I had all of the answers, I simply have orders that I have to follow. I tried to stop them, I really did… but… they're leaving with or without my approval," Yao sighed, shaking his head. "And as I said, the Kingdom needs a King and Queen… Otherwise…"

"Arthur…" Alfred whimpered, as his voice began to crack. Alfred took Arthur into his arms, pulling him in for a tight hug; trying his hardest to not break down…  
Arthur buried his face into Alfred's chest, trying his hardest to not cry: he must be strong for Alfred, he must be strong for himself and he must be strong for his Kingdom.

Time flew for the young monarchs, and each passing day became more and more stressful as they struggled to speed through their studies before their eventual crowning ceremony. However, Matthew softened the blow, by allowing them to spend time alone whenever they asked for it. But despite how much Alfred and Arthur kissed, their anxiety levels did not go down, they shook as they held each other close and their voices trembled as they whispered sweet things into each other's ears. They were scared of the power of the rebels, and whether they would truly be safe when they ascend to the throne.  
Their own people want them dead. And they haven't even worn the crowns yet. The thought of people storming their castle, calling for their heads, terrified Arthur to the very core, and he feared his anxieties being played out in his dreams, and so he never slept.

Before they knew it, Alfred and Arthur were standing on a balcony, overlooking the grand ballroom, watching people dance and converse beneath them. It annoyed Arthur how these people lived so lavishly, as the people outside suffered, it drove him crazy to see the women's extravagant ball gowns and the excessiveness of the food table and wine selection. Arthur was almost tempted to pour the glass of wine he held in his hand down the barrier, but then again, the young advisor who stood beside he and Alfred would not appreciate the rude and ungrateful gesture.

"Are you two ready to be crowned?" The advisor asked.  
Arthur glared down at the shorter man bitterly; however, when he saw the sweetness and roundness of the young advisors light coloured eyes, the fire in Arthur's heart was put out. Arthur had never seen this advisor before; he had light blonde hair, and a sweet, child-like face and small frame. He looked kinder than any advisor that Arthur had ever seen.

Something inside of Arthur told him to be honest to the young advisor, "we don't know, we're trying as hard as we can… but… we're scared that we won't be good enough…"

"Arthur," Alfred frowned, surprised by Arthurs honesty and glancing back at Matthew who stood in the shadows next to the door to their private balcony, guarding.

"I'm tired of pretending that everything is ok, Alfred." Arthur murmured before taking a sip of wine, frowning at the bitter taste. "We're in this ball room; spoilt for choice of food and drink, while people outside are suffering. I am so angry that we were not told about this sooner. It's disgusting that we were being sheltered like this, and now they expect us to rise to the throne with so little training."

"You're right," Alfred agreed, peering over to the advisor cautiously. Could he repeat what Alfred and Arthur are saying? Or can he be relied on?  
Arthur smiled when Alfred began to talk honestly as well, after reaching for Arthur's hand. "What is your name?"

"Tino," The advisor replied, beaming with joy, "I am new to the palace, I come from the mountain region."

"Oh, were you near the woodlands?" Arthur asked, smiling to hear that the kind advisor came from an area neat where Arthur came from, ideas raced through Arthurs head, imagining the possibilities of Tino knowing his family.

"No, I'm from near the winter coast, the water is frozen over for most of the year," Tino replied, crushing Arthur's hopes.

Suddenly trumpets blared throughout the ball room, urging everyone to silence, as everyone turned to look at the grand entrance doors, where the people parted in the middle to create a pathway that led all the way to the centre of the ball room.

"Matthew, come watch!" Alfred hissed to his brother, quickly Matthew gave in to Alfred's request and let his guard down, joining Alfred, Arthur and Tino in looking over the balcony, watching the events occurring bellow. Suddenly two men in knight's armour marched from different ends of the room, both heading towards the door as a Yao stood on the small step, he was wearing his official Jack robes, heavily decorated with spades embroidery and golden thread.

"PRESENTING, FOR THE LAST TIME, THE REIGNING KING AND QUEEN OF SPADE!" Yao announced as the knights grabbed the golden door handles and pulled the doors apart, revealing the man and woman wearing the Spades crowns behind it. They looked grand and mature, both wearing formal wear that screamed of Spade pride, and overwhelming wealth.  
The King and Queen walked towards the centre of the ball room, smiling as people cheered for them as they made their way past.  
It made Arthur feel sick … This man and woman are abandoning their Kingdom and yet they still receive such a warm reception…

When they stopped in the centre of the ball room, Yao had been replaced by a man in red and pink formal wear.

"That is the Jack of Hearts, he is due to resign next year," Tino explained. "His successor is a young man named Feliciano, I hear."

"PRESENTING, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE KING AND QUEEN OF HEARTS."

Suddenly, two young men entered the ballroom, both dressed in deep red clothing, lined with gold and shades of pink, Arthur could see the heart design on the Kings chest from where he stood on the balcony.

"This is King Ludwig, and Queen Kiku, they were crowned late last year, so it looks like they're going to be two pairs same gendered monarchs, and two different gendered. " Tino explained, "The Hearts is a profitable Kingdom, although traditionally it has suffered, and faced territory loss, there is hope that King Ludwig and Queen Kiku will make the Kingdom grow."

"When can we meet them?" Alfred asked, watching as the blonde King and the dark haired Queen walked towards the centre of the ball room, both glancing around the room with fascination: their inexperience being shown on their faces. It was refreshing to see young monarchs enjoying themselves; it gave Arthur some much needed hope.

Arthur looked down just in time to see the Jack of Hearts stepping down and young man with dark hair and glasses took his place, wearing a dark green tail-coat and emblems. This told Arthur who was going to be coming next.

"This Jack is called Roderich, he was anointed on the same day as the King and Queen of clubs," Tino explained, quietening down seconds before the Jack of Clubs spoke.

"PRESENTING THE REIGNING KING AND QUEEN OF CLUBS!"

Arthur's eyes widened when he saw the confidence and class that the King and Queen of Clubs as they walked past the doors.

"King Ivan and Queen Elizabeta. They have been reigning for two years now, and rule with such a powerful hand, but yet… they are highly respected within their Kingdom. It would be wise for you two to become friends with them. But I would be careful when negotiating."  
Arthur couldn't help but notice the tall staff that the King of Clubs carried with him, and how it created a deep boom whenever he took a step. His Queen was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, wearing a vibrant green brown that contrasted with her light brown hair.

Arthur tightened his grip on Alfred's hand, still seething over how they are not allowed to meet the other monarchs.

Suddenly, he watched as the Jacks swapped places, and a shorter man dressed in gold and yellow, with equally bright blonde hair stepped up and announced loudly, "PRESENTING, THE REINING KING AND QUEEN OF DIAMONDS!"

Arthur's eyes widened when his eyes fell upon the Diamond King, he was tall and handsome, with silky blonde hair that brushed his shoulders. From the balcony Arthur could see the King's bright blue eyes as he looked around the ball room and the faces that stared upon him.

"This is King Francis and Queen Lilli, and after you two are crowned; they will be the longest running monarchs. Also, Queen Lilli has broken the record of being the youngest Queen in Diamonds history." Arthur's eyes gravitated towards the King, as though something was calling him to the King, something like a curiosity, as though the King demanded Arthur's attention. Arthur looked up at Alfred to see him watching the Diamond monarchs too.

"How old is she?" Alfred asked.

"Fourteen," Tino answered, "I've heard that she is very sweet, King Francis certainly treats her like a daughter. The Diamond Kingdom could be a good asset for you to use, as they are quickly becoming a very rich Kingdom."

"Hm…" Arthur murmured running his hands up the blue sleeve of Alfred's formal jacket, pulling them closer before resting his head against Alfred's shoulder. Finally the dance began when all of the monarchs stood in the centre of the dance floor; it was a splash of contrasting colours twirling together in harmony.

Eventually the party kicked off, and Alfred and Arthur could only watch from the balcony as the people below them conversed and danced. However, once Tino left, Alfred looked back to Matthew and smiled, Matthew nodded as he immediately understood what Alfred wanted and he left the private balcony, giving Alfred and Arthur their privacy.

"I wish I could dance with you down there…" Alfred murmured, "I've spent too much time panicking over tomorrow, it is driving me mad…"

"We will do all we can… but…" Arthur stuttered, his voice breaking upon remembering all of the things that Matthew had told them. The hunger, the anger and the bloodlust… All of which will be directed towards he and Alfred…

"Hey… We're going to be ok…" Alfred promised as his own voice cracking as he took Arthur into his arms. Arthur's muscles tensed as Alfred squeezed him and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Look, let's dance right now… Let's just be us, no Kings or Queens…" Arthur smiled as Alfred took his hand and positioned him and Arthur into a waltz.  
Slowly Alfred and Arthur swayed to the music, not even bothering to step around the tiny balcony; however, they retreated away from the edge of the balcony, so they were away from any prying eyes.

Arthur listened to Alfred's quiet breaths as he rested his head on his lovers' shoulder following the motion of their swaying.  
However, Arthur was not satisfied enough, and he tilted his head to deliver a kiss to the soft skin of Alfred's neck. Arthur felt Alfred's muscles tense as Arthur's lips parted across his neck, slowly and passionately kissing the tender skin.

Suddenly Alfred took Arthurs chin and directed their lips to meet. Quickly the kiss became deep as Arthur closed his eyes and accepted Alfred's kiss, tilting his head to deepen the connection and depth. Arthur ran his hands down Alfred's back and grasped at the taller man's hips as Alfred's fingers tickled along the back of Arthur's neck, keeping his head close. It was as though the rest of the world did not exist anymore, nor did its problems, and they could finally be happy together, with nothing that can risk tearing them apart.

"Oh my!" A startled voice announced, triggering Alfred and Arthur to freeze and open their eyes, before suddenly pushing themselves off of each other.

"Y-Yao!" Alfred stuttered in shock.  
Arthurs eyes widened as he sucked in a gasp, terrified of the fact that they were caught in an embrace by the Jack. Arthur had finally been hit by the reality of the situation, he and Alfred had been running around for so long; they became too confident that they wouldn't be caught.

"Let us explain—" Arthur began.

But Yao cut him off with a chuckle, "what is there to explain? I caught you two in a lip lock… don't panic, I already suspected it. You may believe that you are being sneaky, but your body language proves otherwise…"

"But…" Alfred stuttered, visibly struggling to find the right words, "Kings and Queens don't…"

"You're right, they don't," Yao agreed, nodding as he walked closer towards the couple, making his way to the balcony, walking in the space between Alfred and Arthur. "But it doesn't mean that it is abad thing. Sure, I don't know how to deal with this, this was not in the manual on how to rule a Kingdom. But, given our current situation, I think we can use this…" Yao frowned as he looked down at the crowd that danced below the balcony, "How much has Matthew told you?"

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Matthew and I agreed that we would try to tell you as much as we can before your crowning, however, it has been difficult because of the prying eyes around us. The walls in this palace have ears…" Yao snickered. "The King and Queen will be leaving the Kingdom within the hour of your crowning, the fear of the monster they have created is driving them to retreat."

"And leaving us to take the beating," Alfred added.

"Exactly, but I can already see that you two are different, your relationship only adds to this. Imagine the morale boost of the Kingdom if you two were to marry…"

"Marriage…" Arthur stuttered before glancing to look at Alfred, to see that he was already looking at him, equally intrigued by the idea of marriage.  
Sure, Arthur could see himself marrying Alfred… they just hadn't had the time to even completely consider the possibility…

"Think about it. Nothing discards national anger like a royal wedding… it could be the push we need to start to turn around the situation of the Kingdom." Yao pointed out as he turned around and walked back towards the door, but before leaving he turned around again to give Alfred and Arthur a smile.  
"Consider it."


	5. Chapter 5

Yao's words kept Alfred awake at night, his heart fluttered at the idea of Arthur and he having matching rings on their fingers.  
And also, it would be another stance of rebellion, King and Queens never marry and so the idea of a King and Queen marrying each other would turn tradition onto its head. It will change the way that people think about the monarchy. He could feel Arthur sleeping beside him, he could hear Arthur's soft breathing echo through the bed chambers, sounding like a soothing lullaby for the young man, calming him down. Alfred thought more and became increasingly more nervous, thinking about the possibility of marrying Arthur, and how happy it would make him. He wondered about whether Arthur agrees with him on this matter.

He smiled as Arthur rolled to his side to face Alfred, still sleeping peacefully. Alfred couldn't resist smiling widely as he rolled over to his side to lie facing Arthur. In the dim moonlight that flooded the room, Alfred could see the soft features of Arthur's face as he breathed softly. Alfred couldn't be more thankful of the fact that Matthew was able to approve of them sharing chambers. He could still remember the smirk on Matthew's face when he cited 'Security' as the reasoning.

Alfred breached deeply as he laid his arm across Arthur's shoulder, sliding closer towards him, close enough to feel his Queens breath warm his neck.

"Uh," Arthur murmured responding to the disturbance in his slumber. "Alfred…"

"I'm sorry," Alfred whispered, realising that he had woken Arthur.

"Uhh…" Arthur grumbled, despite this irritation he still stretched his arm to lay over Alfred's torso, holding him closely. Alfred closed his eyes and breathed deeply, taking in Arthur's rosy scent, feeling the bliss travel through his body like waves caressing the beach. He was finally in a state of peace, he no longer cared about the things that bothered him anymore.

The thoughts of marriage plagued Alfred's mind again, he thought of the possibility of sleeping like this with Arthur every single night… and no one having any power to stop them.  
"Arthur…" Alfred whispered.

"Hmm?" Arthur asked, still recovering from the interruption to his sleep.

"Have you thought more about what Yao said…?" Alfred asked.

Arthur was silent for a moment as he pushed himself off of Alfred, pulling away far enough to stare at Alfred's face, but not far enough to escape his warm grip. "You mean with us marrying?"

"Yes… How do you feel about that?" Alfred asked, frowning in intrigue, becoming increasingly nervous over Arthur's slow response. Alfred couldn't help but worry that he wasn't as enthusiastic as him over the idea of marriage.

"I… I like it… It makes sense and sounds like a good idea," Arthur admitted, "how do you feel about it?"

Alfred smiled widely as Alfred took Arthur into his arms, hugging him tightly, even intertwining the couple's legs to deepen the hold they had on each other. "Marry me then…"

"Are you asking me to marry you?" Arthur asked, Alfred feeling his entire body tense from the surprise and his hold on Alfred tighten.

"What do you think I said?" Alfred chuckled as he rolled onto his back, taking Arthur with him. Arthur chuckled as he straddled the man below him, grabbing at Alfred's hands, holding them tightly as his arms trembled. "Arthur, will you marry me?"  
The second time he said it, Alfred felt much more confident, his voice instinctually became louder and more proud, as he already knew Arthurs answer, but just wanted to feel the bliss of saying that magical request again. "Marry me."

"I will, I will!" Arthur hissed happily. Alfred chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Arthur as pulled him in closely, nearly smothering him. "Aww… Alfred…"

"We're fiancés now…" Alfred whispered, titling his head slightly so his lips were directed to Arthur's ear, "They can't do anything to us now…"

"And we're going to be King and Queen by Sunday…" Arthur pointed out. "Oh god… How are we going to tell the advisors?"

"They're going to deal with it, we have followed the rules our entire lives." Alfred replied, "They can't do anything to us anymore."

Despite his words of confidence whilst in bed with Arthur, Alfred felt that confidence shrivel into nothing when he met the tired eyes of the Tutor as they watched Alfred and Arthur be escorted into the study, late.

"This relationship of yours needs to end now, word is spreading around the Kingdom and it is causing moral panic," The Tutor explained. "You're being crowned tomorrow and this fact has to be in your heads. Think about what you are doing now, this is no longer a game."

"How can we be expected to rule without being close?" Arthur asked bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Like everyone has before you, it's tr—"

"Tradition," Alfred barked, "isn't it about time things changed? Shouldn't we stop thinking about what HAS been done and what COULD be done?"

"Watch your mouth, boy."

"I think you're forgetting who your talking too, teacher," Arthur hissed, rising from his seat, eager to defend Alfred, with Alfred quickly rising to his feet in defiance. "Staring tomorrow we will be the King and Queen of Spades, and I suggest that you care for the impression you are leaving on us."

"Pardon me, sir, but I don't care about your impression," The tutor replied, "I have been given a job, to maintain order and teach you too the proper way, and I will be damned if I don't do it. You two will not rule properly, I can tell already by the way by the way you two act. You'll run the morality of this Kingdom into the ground!"

"You don't know that!" Alfred snapped.

"I know about your library sessions," The Tutor grumbled, making Alfred and Arthur freeze. "Did you think that no one saw you, that no one followed you and that no one saw you?! This young curiosity is ending here!"

"You can't" Arthur hissed, his voice slightly shaken from the surprise.

"I don't understand what force in nature caused you two to be born with those blessed marks… You two should care about nothing but your Kingdom. This is against nature, King and Queens do not interact like that! You two don't know a thing about what you are doing!" The Tutor continued, before sighing and looking to Matthew, who stood by the door. "Escort Arthur to his PRIVATE Chambers."

All eyes fell on Matthew, whose face remained blank, Alfred froze as he looked to his brother: internally begging him to not take Arthur away from him, he cannot let the Tutor win… "I am the Ace. I only take orders from my monarchs."

"HA!" Alfred gawked, looking back to the tutor, like he had just won a match, "we're not letting you separate us! Even if Matthew agreed to follow your order!"

"You're both making a mistake…" The tutor pointed out, their eyes rolling, "where did I go so wrong? I thought that you two knew how things worked, and why things CAN'T happen."

"Tradition isn't a valid reason to hold back," Arthur pointed out, "we are about to be the rulers of a Kingdom that we've never seen, that we've never experienced for ourselves. What good is that tradition? What good is the tradition of abstinence, isolation and emotional barriers? Tradition may have been useful and meaningful in the past, when it was required, but now it has reached its expiry date. And Alfred and I are going to prove it so."

The Tutor chuckled, knowing that they were unable to fight Arthur's words, they stood up from their seat and began to walk towards the door, staring at Alfred and Arthur as they passed, analysing them with chilling eyes. "Fine, do what you want: you two are obviously past the point of intervention. People will be angry when they hear of your blatant disregard for tradition."

"They're angrier about the food shortage to care about us," Alfred spat. Alfred chuckled when he watched the Tutors eyes widen, "Yes. We know about that. You thought that keeping us isolated would hide that fact that our Kingdom is crumbling! We are not going to be the blind puppets of our courtiers and nobles. We are going to fix these mistakes and make the kingdom better than it's ever been!"

"Good luck with that…" The Tutor spat, "You're asking for assassinations, let's hope that your next heir has been born already."

"Don't talk to my fiancé like that!" Alfred hissed, standing forward to stand next to the tutor, intimidating the smaller figure with his height and to get a better view of the Tutors face change.

"YOUR WHAT?!" The Tutor roared.

"Oh, did we not mention that we are getting married? Does that lessen the sin of our relationship?" Alfred asked, chuckling at his new-found confidence. He was no longer afraid of the Tutor, the young man had become the King and was ready to finally act like one too, and protect the one he loves. "Did your spies not catch the proposal?"

"I…" The Tutor stuttered, "This Kingdom is going to fall to hell… We're all doomed… This is an unnatural scandal, you two are unnatural."

As soon as the door slammed behind the Tutor, Arthur chuckled, "That could have gone better… That was … Although, that was calmer than I expected."

"That's because they were alone," Matthew pointed out, "I know that if I weren't the only guard here, they would have forced you apart. I've heard the other guards receiving orders to watch you two, and make sure that you keep your distance."

"At least we know that Yao is on our side," Alfred pointed out.

"And it's going to get worse; the Tutor is going to tell everyone now: we need your marriage to happen, and soon." Matthew pointed out.

The Sunday had finally come, Alfred and Arthur woke before the sun came up; knowing that the preparation for their coronation was going to take a long time. For once, Alfred and Arthur with fine with the fact that they had to be separated in order to prepare. They were fine with having the surprise of seeing each other again before they made their way to the throne.

As servants helped Alfred into his suit, the silence was haunting him, and he knew that they were keen to listen to him. Particularly because he knew that they knew about his relationship with Arthur, the entire castle would probably know by this point.

Alfred's heart hurt ever since he woke up that morning, he dreaded the day that he had before him. He knew that this was being rushed and that he and Arthur were not ready to take over yet… they are going to take the heat left behind by the anger of the current monarchs. They're going to escape and leave him and Arthur to the wolves that lay outside of the palace. The wolves that want their blood…

All of the anger that Arthur had managed to calm returned to Alfred and his entire body became stiff as he thought more about it. He closed his eyes as he tried to not let his mind wander into that dark place, but it did him no good.  
This was injustice.

When Alfred saw Arthur again, he was standing by the door to the courtyard. The ceremony worked with the new King and Queen walking past an entire battalion, crossing the courtyard to enter the castle, before reaching the temporary throne room, where the current monarchs sat. Where the crowns will be passed and the new monarchs will take their places as the King and Queen of Spades. And then hours of speeches and prayer will follow: anything that will guarantee luck for the new monarchs.

"Alfred…" Arthur whispered his voice cracking as he took Alfred's hand as soon as he was close enough to reach. "We're not ready for this… what are we going to do about the food shortages, the revolts, the violence?"

"We will fix it…" Alfred replied, trying his best to block out those thoughts.

"How?" Arthur asked, his voice cracking further, "our own people… want to kill us…"

"They can't—"

"But they want to!" Arthur hissed, "We can't do this, not yet… but we can't turn back."

"I don't want to do this either," Alfred admitted, holding on tightly to Arthur's hand. "But we are going to change it, we are going to make it better…"  
Arthur didn't reply, but held on tightly to Alfred's hand.

Finally the doors opened and Alfred squinted in response to the blinding sunlight, when his vision returned to him, Alfred saw a row of knights on horses creating a pathway to the door to the palace. Following commands, the knights drew out their swords, before lifting them to the sky, creating a roof of swords for Alfred and Arthur to walk under.  
Alfred and Arthur began their silent journey, feeling the weight of hundreds of faces stare them down as they took each step.

Alfred felt his exterior begin to crumble as the thrones came closer, he could already hear the people screaming as they rip open the castle walls.

They wanted to kill him… they wanted to kill Arthur.

By the point Alfred and Arthur reached the throne room, Alfred didn't realise that tears were streaming down his face, he stared emotionlessly at the King and Queen as they rose from their thrones and removed the crowns from their heads.

Alfred could feel the eyes of all of the nobles staring him down as he and Arthur walked through the entrance hall and towards the thrones where the King and Queen stood.

Arthur looked down at Arthur, to see that he was crying too… Arthur stepped forward first, bowing down before the Queen, whilst in his stance; the Queen placed the crown on Arthur's head. Arthur remained in his kneeling position as Alfred joined his side, kneeling before the King.

"Be strong, my boy…" The King whispered, showing some signs of sympathy as he placed the crown on Alfred's head. The crown was heavy enough to nearly topple Alfred's trembling head over, as Alfred and Arthur rose from their position. The King and Queen moved to the side and Yao moved to stand between Alfred and Arthur.

As the entire crowd watched in silence, Yao blessed Alfred and Arthur and the Kingdom. As Yao spoke, Alfred glanced over at Arthur to see that the young man had closed his eyes tightly, his shoulders shaking from how hard he was trying to hold back his tears.

Before he knew it, Alfred and Arthur were sitting on the throne, with everyone staring at them, applauding as though their new monarchs were not visibly crying on the throne. Alfred could not hear the clapping; he could only hear angry yelling. Alfred shook it off, convinced that it was only his paranoia and stress over the rebels causing him to imagine things, but it only continued.

Alfred looked back to the crowd, only to see someone standing in the middle of the walkway, the sight of the man sent a shiver down Alfred's spine. He was dressed all in black, which stood out from the white flooring and the blue clothing of everyone as they clapped and cheered for the monarchs as though he wasn't there. His long black cloak covered his entire body, except for his face that was a ghostly pale, with stunning red eyes and pierced Alfred's soul.

"Arthur… do you see that man?" Alfred whimpered as he glanced at Arthur, to see that Arthur was already looking at him, his mouth trembling in shock.

"Who…?" Arthur asked as he glanced over at Alfred, his eyes wide with horror.

However, what made Alfred's heart drop into his stomach was the fact that when they turned back to look at the figure, he was gone, and no trace of him was left behind.

The image of the figure still shook Alfred long after the ceremony had ended. Alfred and Arthur sat together at the end of the massive dinner table, as nobles and rich aristocrats dined before them, acting as though they lived in a fairy-tale: whilst Alfred and Arthur were living their nightmare.

Alfred felt as though the world was moving in slow motion, his eyes widened as he stared down at his food, unable to bring himself to even pick up his fork. He hadn't moved or spoke since he sat down.

"Had you ever seen him before?" Arthur asked; forcing Alfred's out of his deep state of thinking.

"No…" Alfred replied, "I've never seen anyone like that before."

Arthur frowned, noticing that Alfred hasn't touched his dinner. Arthur knew that Alfred hadn't eaten all day, and this worried Arthur, because he understood exactly what Alfred was going through: guilt. They felt guilty that they were spoilt for choice when it came to food, whilst angry people starved outside: and were willing to kill them because of it. But still, Arthur cared about Alfred's help, and knew that the man, his fiancé, would be starving by now. "Alfred, have something."

"Oh…" Alfred murmured, looking down at his meal, staring at the wonderfully cooked meat, potatoes and mushrooms. "I will if you will."

"The winner is the one who finishes the plate first then," Arthur bet, chuckling for the first time today, feeling some form of normality return.  
Alfred finally placed some mushroom and potato onto his spoon and ate it, staring at Arthur, making sure that he was eating too.

Suddenly, Arthur noticed Alfred frown as he swallowed the food, "What's the matter?"

"That tasted funny…" Alfred admitted.

Arthur shrugged, assuming that the meal must have been slightly undercooked, as his own tasted fine and was rather tasty.

"Have you told Yao about our engagement?" Alfred asked.

"I haven't seen him alone yet, so no."

"Me neither, I was hoping you had. I'm really hoping he was right about this… You know… Us marrying in order to help the situation…" Alfred murmured.

"Is that why you asked me to marry you?" Arthur asked, his eyebrows rising in intrigue.

"N-NO!" Alfred whined, turning to face Arthur as his cheeks flushed bright red, "I asked you because I love you, sure, it came early because of Yao!"

"Calm down, love, I'm playing with you," Arthur chuckled, "I was going to ask too, you just beat me to it!"

"Oh…" Alfred murmured, his cheeks flushing with an even deeper shade of red as Arthur smirked at him.  
However, Arthur eyes widened when Alfred's face changed, his complexion turning pale as he frowned in confusion.

"Alfred?" Arthur asked as Alfred leaned forward and grabbed Arthur's sleeve as his other hand grabbed around his throat. Alfred looked up at Arthur, his eyes begging for help as he slid off of his chair, and fell to the floor. "ALFRED!"  
Before Arthur could process what just happened, Matthew pulled the chairs away and rolled Alfred onto his back, swearing.  
"Alfred…" Arthur whimpered as his entire body froze with shock as he stared at Alfred's face as the man's eyes shot open. Alfred's entire body convulsed as Matthew panicked and Yao fell to the Kings side, feeding him water. Quickly Arthur fell on his knees by Alfred's head, taking his fiancés hand and holding it tightly as the reality of the situation began to dawn on Arthur.

Matthew looked at the plate of Alfred's food as security cleared the table of anyone who sat at the table, now everyone knew what was going on.  
Matthew took one of the mushrooms and smelt it, before licking the finger that touched the dish.  
"Poison…" Matthew whispered, just loud enough for Arthur to hear, Matthew snapped his head to look at the nearby guards; "capture the head chef, NOW!"

Arthur stared down at Alfred as his head twitched, rivers of spit and froth spilling from his lips, staring into Arthur's eyes: still begging for help.  
Arthur held on tightly to Alfred's hand, feeling the muscles in Alfred's strong hand tense and relax simultaneously along with the rest of his body, as Yao struggled to assess the damage.  
It was then that Arthur realised that he was crying, as all he could do was watch as his fiancé writhed and pain and fear beneath him, and Arthur was powerless to help…


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur's body had become so stiff after spending hours hunched over the bed where Alfred lay, he began to question whether he still possessed the ability to move. He moved his head to look up at Alfred, sad to see that he was still resting: Yao gave him some medicine to send him to sleep, as his body recovered from the poison. Arthur shuffled his stiff back so his chair was closer to the bed, before deciding that this was not enough. His back cracked as he sat up and rose out of the chair, before falling forward and lying next to Alfred, still holding onto his limp hand. He rested his head on the pillow besides Alfred's relieved to watch his chest rise and fall with every calming breath.

Arthur's eyes were still recovering from the torrent of crying he did that night, knowing that people have already tried to kill Alfred; and he hadn't even been King for more than a couple of hours. Arthur could only imagine how much more horrific the assassination attempts will get the longer they stay in power. Will it get worse when the people find out that they are engaged?

Arthur and Alfred were lucky this time, the poison wasn't too strong and Alfred hadn't eaten much of it. However, if the Chef had done better at masking the off-taste of the toxin, Alfred would not have been so lucky.

"Urrhh…" Alfred grumbled as he turned over, nuzzling his face into Arthur's neck, breathing softly against Arthur's pale skin.

"Alfred?" Arthur asked, hooking an arm over Alfred's shoulder, holding him closely, praying that Alfred was finally waking up.

"Umm," Alfred grumbled, his throat sounding dry, "Arthur?"

"How are you feeling?" Arthur asked, cupping Alfred's chin with his hand, directing his head to look up at him.

"Terrible…" Alfred grumbled, his eyes struggling to remain open, but the task became easier for him the longer he was awake.

"Here, I'll get you some water," Arthur explained as he pulled himself off of the bed, much to Alfred's disappointment. Arthur stood by the bedside table where a porcelain jug of water and cups stood. Arthur could feel Alfred watching him as he poured the water whilst Alfred shuffled upwards, raising his back against the bed head, "last night was scary."

"I know…" Alfred admitted as Arthur handed him the cup of water.

"It doesn't look good, we haven't even started ruling yet, and they hate us," Arthur explained, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat back down in his chair, watching Alfred drink his water. "How can we show them that we're going to do things differently if they don't give us a chance?"

"I just want to know what the other royals did," Alfred grumbled, "this much hate for a monarchy is unheard of."

"It will get better, we will make it better," Alfred promised, "we just can't let this get us down so quickly. We haven't given ourselves the chance to do better either."  
Arthur frowned, realising that Alfred was right as the door to their chambers opened and Yao entered, sighing with relief when he saw that Alfred was awake.

"How are you feeling, Alfred?" Arthur asked.

"I'm a bit numb, but I am getting better," Alfred answered before finishing his water.

"We are lucky that the poison was not strong, and that you had not eaten much," Yao explained, "we found the herbal poison in the Chefs kitchen, it was a plant that is found in the northern region of the Kingdom, animals often eat it by mistake and have the same seizures as Alfred did. Deaths only occur when it is eaten in large amounts."

"So, I'm going to be ok?" Alfred asked.

"You will be fine by the end of the hour," Yao answered, "However, the fact that they used such a low and common poison is more worrying, I don't think that this was an assassination attempt: but a warning, or a threat."  
Arthur sighed as his hands fell into his hands, dreading the fact that this first poisoning was only the beginning of their painful reign.

"We suppose that now would be the time that Arthur and I tell you that we want to marry," Alfred pointed out.

"Oh, you decided already?" Yao asked, "That's good, a celebration will provide us time to show them that we are already doing things differently."

"But what if they don't like it?" Arthur asked, "We know that the Tutor and our advisors hated the idea of us being together."

"We don't know, we can only guess…" Yao sighed, "It's a risk that we will have to take. Are you sure that you two want to do this?"

There was a moment of silence before Alfred answered, "We want to do this."

Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door, and Matthew looked in before entering the room, smiling when he saw that Alfred was alright. "It's good to see you awake."

"How is the chef?" Arthur asked.

"He's being interrogated in the courthouse, he's refusing to talk," Matthew explained, before loudly cracking his fingers, "that's because I haven't spoken to him yet."

"I don't know if that's a wise idea," Arthur pointed out, "if they see us being rough with him, it may make them angry."

"But if we don't punish him, they'll see us as weak," Matthew replied, "I am the head of security, and I need to deal with people who try to hurt my monarchs, Alfred is still my brother, and they tried to hurt them. Of course they need to be punished for it!"

"Fine then, but let the civil courts deal with him; I advise against becoming emotional invested. Leave the duty with one of your soldiers. Attempted murder is still attempted murder, no matter who the target is. As well as that: he has also committed treason. He is not going to get away with this easily. Now, let's talk about your wedding."

"Wedding?" Matthew asked; his face lighting up as he looked to Alfred and Arthur, his face lighting up with joy when he saw their connected hands. He suddenly stopped being the security guard, and became a brother. His voice rose in pitch as a hopeful smile crossed his lips, "You're getting married?"

Alfred smiled as he nodded, but it was Arthur who spoke, "We want to do it as soon as possible, anything to disperse this situation."

"Well… I can arrange something… how about within the next week?" Yao asked.

"Can our parents come to the wedding?" Alfred asked.

"Hm, traditionally parents never came to the castle; they gave their marked-child to the Kingdom. But I suppose that I can arrange it. Your parents would have never expected to hear that their son, the King, is going to marry," Yao explained, humbly smiling, "It would be great to spread the word… Arthur, would you like your family to come too?"

"I would appreciate that," Arthur admitted, "I haven't seen my family in so long, I don't remember what they look like…"

"Neither do we," Matthew agreed, "It would be nice to see them again."

"I shall arrange it then," Yao happily agreed before bowing to the couple before turning around to leave the chambers, "I have a lot of work ahead of me now. You two should rest for now."

Yao was efficient, within a week Arthur was preparing for his wedding, lifting his arms as the seamstresses around him sewed his long blue cloak to the back of his suit, and adding the final touches to the overall outfit.

Despite the happiness of the day, Arthur still thought about the figure in black that appeared during their coronation, and couldn't help but wonder whether he will appear at their wedding too.

His curiosity got the better of him, and he broke the silence, "Have any of you ever seen a man dressed in black around here?"

"Hm? What do you mean; your highness?" The short seamstress asked being the youngest of the group of three women, all with varying ages.

"Well, I saw a man during the coronation; he was dressed in black with pale skin, white hair and red eyes. No one else saw him but the King and I…" Arthur explained.

"Oo…" The eldest of the seamstresses asked as he readied her needle and thread to sew the fabric around Arthur's shoulders, "perhaps the monarchs have seen the Joker…"

"The Joker?" Arthur asked.

"Shush, you!" the middle seamstress hissed, "you know that the Joker is nothing but a legend!"

"He is no legend!" the eldest seamstress replied, "I've seen him, I have!"

"Doesn't he cast curses, and bring misery?" The youngest asked.

"No, he comes to warn people of misfortune," The eldest explained, her voice becoming deeper as she took Arthur further into the legend, staring at the young queen in the eyes. "I was a young girl when I saw him; I was out at night, heading home from a long day of work. When I looked up and saw a man standing on the edge of the roof of a house, wearing a long black cloak. He looked down at me with his red eyes and pale face, and then he said to me to be late to work tomorrow. And suddenly he was gone! Something about him chilled me to the bone, so I did what he said, and purposely arrived late to work, only to find the entire tavern burned to the ground. He saved my life; I would not be here today if it weren't for his warning!"

"That is utter fantasy!" the middle aged woman spat. "You're a mad old woman who tells too many stories!"

Ignoring her colleagues words, the elder grabbed Arthurs hand and stared into his eyes, "please, take his appearance as a warning and be careful, your highness."

"Stop it," the middle aged woman hissed, "you're scaring the Queen."

"Apologies, your highness," The elderly woman bowed, releasing Arthur's hand, "but… please don't take it lightly."

"Alright," Arthur murmured as the young woman finally finished sewing his cloak onto his shoulders. "Thank you."

Even as Arthur made his way to the ballroom, knowing that people were waiting there to watch him marry Alfred, the seamstress's works still rang within his mind. Perhaps he really should take it as the seamstress claimed; perhaps the Joker was there to warn him and Alfred of something bad.

However, he wasn't going to let those bad and worrisome thoughts ruin his wedding-day, he was going to marry Alfred, and be in a good mood while doing it. When Arthur saw the door to the chapel, he saw that Alfred was already waiting outside.

Alfred was dressed similarly to Arthur, wearing a dark blue suit with a long blue cloak that pooled around his feet, with white fur lining the rim of his coat and like Arthur; he wore his crown on his head. When Alfred saw him, he smiled widely and opened his arms, encouraging Arthur to come to him.

"Alfred!" Arthur cried as he picked up the pace, running to reach Alfred, and running into his arms. However he resisted the urge to kiss him, knowing that it would be best to save it for the altar.

"You look so beautiful…" Alfred grasped, looking down at Arthur's formal clothing, "are you ready to do this?"

"Yes," Arthur replied, taking Alfred's hand as they turned to face the door to the chapel, hearing the music begin. The doors to the chapel opened to reveal Alfred and Arthur to the crowd, the seats and balconies above were overcrowded with people. All eyes fell on Arthur and Alfred as they began to walk down the aisle, feeling the weight of the people's eyes on them. Arthur could see his parents staring at him as he reached the altar, tears in their eyes, as they were so happy to see that the baby that they had to give up was finally getting married. Yao stood at the Alter, dressed in white and royal blue, officially ready to marry the young monarchs.

As Yao spoke, Alfred and Arthur stood across from each other, theirs hands linked and their eyes locked in a gaze with each other, unable to pull themselves away. Arthur smiled as Alfred tightened his grip on Arthur's hands, as he spoke.

"Arthur, I promise you that I am going to protect you," Alfred began, speaking loud enough for only Arthur to hear, ignoring the fact that the people wanted to hear his vows. Arthur knew that Alfred only wanted Arthur to hear this. "I remember that when I first saw you, I knew that my life was going to be much better with you in it. We fought against the traditions that kept us apart for so long, so they can never separate us again. I love you with all of my heart, and I will protect you from anything that dares to try to take you away from me. No force of heaven or earth will ever separate us again."

"Alfred, I love you more than I thought I was first capable of," Arthur began, tightening his grip on Alfred's hands. "And in effect, you've made me happier than I thought I was capable of, and I cannot thank you enough. You make me look forward to waking up in the morning, look forward to living in general, because I know that I am going to see you… you will never be able to understand how happy you make me feel, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Arthur eyes widened after he finished his short vows, knowing that words could never describe just how strongly he felt for Alfred. But then, he knew that he would have his entire life to tell Alfred just how much he loved him.

And suddenly, Yao finally said the words, "you may now kiss your husband."

Without hesitation, Alfred and Arthur pulled in closer until their lips met. At first, the kiss was a simple peck, but as the crowd clapped and cheered, Alfred couldn't resist the urge to hook his arm around Arthur's torso and pulled him in closer in order to kiss him deeper. Arthur smiled as he wrapped his arms around Alfred's shoulders, before releasing his new husband and staring into his eyes.

They walked back down the aisle as people threw white and blue flower petals from the balconies, showering the crowd below as the married couple walked together. Finally beginning their new life as husbands, and as the King and Queen of Spades.

As the sun began to set, Alfred and Arthur's wedding celebrations continued they danced slowly along with the people around them; the people who were genuinely happy that they were married.

Arthur was happy to meet Alfred and Matthew's parents, and hear their relief to see their children again. The same could be said about Arthur's own parents, who were astonished that they were able to see him again; considering how far away they lived from the castle. Arthur's mother grabbed his face and cried as she spoke about how much she cried when Arthur was born, and saw that he had the mark of the Queen. She was terrified of giving him up, because she knew that she would never be able to see him again. She cried as she held her son again, as his father told him how proud he was, and how his whole village is overjoyed and wished that they could attend.

Overwhelmed with happiness, Alfred and Arthur danced together as the people around them released paper lanterns and created the illusion of the stars floating around them.

"I love you…" Alfred whispers before leaning in to kiss Arthurs forehead, making the shorter man blush as he tightened his grip on Alfred's hand. "We're going to change everything."

"I agree," Arthur agreed, leaning in to touch noses with Alfred, "We aren't going to let anything dictate our lives, never again…"

"We decide our fate."

"We rule our Kingdom."

"And there's nothing anybody can do about it."

As soon as the crowd lessened, Alfred and Arthur could finally disappear into their private chambers; finally with no moral chains to hold them back, Alfred swept Arthur off of his feet and carried him to the bed. Arthur smiled as he lay back on the bed, and Alfred climbed on top of him, smiling at the man who lay beneath him.

"God… I've waited so long for this…" Alfred whispered as he kissed along Arthur's jaw, and his hands travelled down his husband's chest, longing to feel the skin that sat beneath the clothing. Arthur was itching for his husband to get on with it and consummate the marriage, whereas Alfred wanted to savour every second.

"Uhh… Alfred…" Arthur whimpered as he began to unbutton every decorated button that lined Arthur's chest. "Please…"

"Aww…" Alfred chuckled, despite his cool and sensual voice; his cheeks were flushing a vibrant pink. "I love you… I can't wait to cherish you."

Arthur gasped when Alfred pounced, kissing his neck passionately as he pulled off the first layer of clothing, revealing the white blouse underneath. Alfred breathed heavily as he pulled he sleeves off of Arthur's arms, before removing his own coat. Arthur grabbed Alfred's blouse and hungrily pulled him back in, resuming the passionate kissing, Arthur chuckled as he hooked his legs around Alfred's hips, encouraging him to dig deeper, making Alfred groan in response.

"Alfred…" Arthur whispered into Alfred's hair as the man began to kiss down his chest, after undoing each button along the line. "Yes…"

Arthur was about to explode, the excitement within his heart was writhing out of control as Alfred calmly revealed more and more of Arthur's pale skin, his body was aching for his husband. Arthur struggled to understand how the usually impatient Alfred was managing to hold himself together with the opportunity for them to fulfil their needs right in front of him.  
However Arthur didn't have much time to think more about it as a loud boom that echoed through the castle and an amber glow radiated from the outside the windows, filling the entire chamber with light.

"Nooo…" Alfred growled, falling down to nuzzle his face into Arthur's shoulder, "Not now…"

"What's going on?" Arthur asked.

"We should go…" Alfred grumbled, "Either we go now, or wait for Matthew to retrieve us."

Reluctantly, Alfred climbed off of Arthur as the Queen began to button up his shirt. Alfred ran to the window and looked out, "What do you think it is?"

"It must be another protest… it looks big…" Alfred grimaced, "we need to go now…"

"Ok, ok…" Arthur sighed as he slid off of the bed, pulling his sleeves through his blue coat, deciding that it wasn't worth buttoning up. Alfred took Arthur's hand as they ran out of the chambers. "What should we do?"

"I want to talk to them!" Alfred admitted as he started leading Arthur down the hallway, ignoring the Queen's shocked reaction.

"Are you mad?! If they see you, they'll kill you!" Arthur gasped.

"Not if we ask for their leaders!" Alfred pointed out, "we can end this if we can convince their leaders to trust us!"

"But can we trust them?" Arthur asked.

"But how can we expect them to give us a chance if we can't do the same for them?" Alfred asked. However as soon as the couple turned the corner of the hallway, Alfred and Arthur ran into Matthew and two other guards, whom seemed to already be on their way to see them.

"Oh, good!" Matthew pointed out, relieved to see them: perhaps even more relived that he didn't see them in the chambers. "We need to get you out of the castle, now!"

"Wait!" Alfred pointed out, stopping Matthew before he could lead them away, "let us speak to the rebel leaders?"

"What? No, are you mad?" Matthew frowned.

"But he has a point, if we engage the rebels, rather than fight them, perhaps we can find a common ground and end this!" Arthur pointed out.

"We want to prove to them that we are different, and this is our chance!" Alfred explained, "Matthew, please…"

Matthew sighed, obviously fighting between his training and his heart; he looked back to the men behind them, "Tell the rebels to bring two representatives of their group. No more than two, no weapons allowed in the castle. We will be waiting in the meeting room nearest here. This is their chance to cooperate with us. Take no chances. One of you, bring Yao here, right now."

"Thank you…" Alfred sighed as the guards nodded before running in the opposite direction.

"Now, come on, we need to think about what you two are going to say." Matthew explained as he led Alfred and Arthur into a small meeting room, closing the door behind them, "Should I give you two sometime?"

"Matthew, wait; what is happening out there?" Arthur asked, stopping Matthew before he left the meeting room, whilst Alfred took a seat at the small round table.

"Another mob, it's bigger than the last one. I'm sure they have a couple of village's worth of people down there with torches and weapons…" Matthew sighed, "And they had to do this on your wedding night. You two should be happy right now, it's not fair… I'm really sorry…"

"Matthew, it's ok, you're doing your best," Alfred replied as Arthur took the chair next to him, and immediately rested his head on Alfred's shoulder, trying his best to swallow his anxiety.  
As soon as Matthew left the meeting room Alfred turned to look at Arthur. "We're going to do this, and it's going to be ok. They're not going to hurt us."  
Arthur couldn't reply, but nuzzled further into Alfred's shoulder, "do you remember my vows?"

"Yes…"

"Then you know that I am going to protect you, no matter what," Alfred promised, as he took Arthur's head into his hands, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "We can do this…"

Arthur and Alfred waited, hand in hand; as they watched the door to the meeting room open and Yao enter, being followed by two figures in red, blue and black clothing. The shorter one had light blonde hair and narrow violet eyes, his pale skin glowed in the small light generating from the gas lighting. A section of his hair was held back by a small cross hair-piece, holding his hair off of half of his face. He wore black clothing underneath a dark-blue cloak.  
The other was a much taller man, with tall sandy blonde hair and wide sky-blue eyes. His cloak had touches of red in it.

The two men sat on the chairs across the table from Alfred and Arthur.

"King Alfred and Queen Arthur of Spades," Yao explained, "We introduce you to; Lukas Bondevik and Mathias Køhler."

"Pleasure," Arthur greeted, trying his best to hide his anxiety, "as you know, we are the new King and Queen of Spades."

"We know." Lukas replied.

"We want to do better than them, and we are," Alfred pointed out, "And we want to have a chance to prove it to you."

"Tell us why the people are revolting, and what we can do to fix it," Arthur explained, before the two revolutionaries looked at each other, "please."

"Your people are starving, the former monarchs knew about this, but yet, they took more and more away from us in order to fund their fantasies! People are dying out there and we are sick of it!" Lukas growled.

"Alright, we were not told of any of this! Everything was kept from Arthur and I until we were FORCED to be crowned!" Alfred pointed out, "the last monarchy wronged us too."

"We have heard that you two are different from the other monarchs… We heard that today was your wedding, is this true?" Mathias asked.

"We were under the impression that the entire Kingdom knew that our wedding day was today," Alfred pointed out, "But it is true, Arthur and I are already different from the others, we are married."

"May I say something?" A new voice asked as the door opened, and a new face entered, wearing the blue and gold uniform of a Spades royal advisor, Arthur immediately recognised him as Tino. Tino shocked Alfred and Arthur by turning to Lukas and Mathias; as their ally. "Their relationship is legitimate. And they are truthful in saying that they were forced to be crowned. They were never shown or told about what was happening outside of the palace walls. Learning the truth has hurt them, and they do want to change."

Lukas looked back and chuckled at the sight of Alfred and Arthur's shock, "I see you met Tino… We had to have someone come into the castle… assume the role of an advisor… We had to find out what was happening within the palace walls."

"So you sent a spy?" Matthew asked, his eyes narrowing.

"It was our only option, no one from the former monarchy would speak to us," Lukas pointed out. "And before you ask, we never told the chef to poison the Kings meal, we never agreed to it."

"What can we do to help fix the problems?" Alfred asked.

"Well… Personally I can see that you wish to change the situation, however I don't know if the others feel the same way," Mathias explained, "there are people who can only see the bad in the monarchy and want it to end. In order to sway that majority, you will have to promise food, law enforcement policy and changes in trade agreements."

"We can do that," Yao pointed out, "just give us time."

"How much time though?!" Lukas pointed out, "we need a time—a deadline."

"Deadline?" Yao stuttered.

"We need a time frame for people to expect changes! They grow more and more impatient as each day passes and I don't blame them," Lukas explained.

Arthur swallowed his pride and tried to think, unable to stop himself from appearing nervous. And suddenly, the answer came to him; like someone had just whispered it into his ear and Arthur repeated it without thinking, "The Diamond Ball."

"Exactly! Let us attend the Diamond Ball!" Yao agreed.

"But that's a year from now," Mathias pointed out.

"Well, you wanted a deadline, and these changes take time," Alfred replied. "I feel more comfortable with having a year to prove to you that we are not like the past monarchs. We've already started with our wedding."

"Your wedding doesn't change anything—"

"It shows our values, we don't value what they did: we want to make a difference, we just need the time to make it happen." Arthur explained, looking at the rebellion leader in the eyes, "please."

Lukas and Mathias fell silent, probably not expecting to see the Queen of Spades look at them with begging eyes; they looked to each other until Lukas finally spoke, "fine. We will hold back the revolution for one more year. However, once you return from the Diamond Ball, it is no longer in our hands."

Arthur and Alfred knew their time limit and worked their hardest to make the best changes they could. They spent their first year as King and Queen making subtle changes to policy and lessening the extravagance of the castle of Spades.

Despite this, Alfred and Arthur did see the rewards of their industrial revolution, they walked upon the ship that did not have sails, they sat in the carriage that did not need horses, and watched Matthew fire a weapon that relied on gunpowder. They knew that their Kingdom was on the brink of being something great and the revolution threatened to destroy everything.

Alfred and Arthur knew that they were making good changes, Yao pointed out how their supplies are slowly rising, and the revolts are becoming less and less frequent.

However, they knew that they could never afford to let their guard down, there was nothing stopping the people from mobbing the castle again and completing their revolution.

"Remember, this is our last chance…" Yao sighed as the carriage jolted slightly.

"We know…" Alfred sighed, tightening his grip on Arthur's hand as they sat next to each other in the small wooden carriage, which was lined with blue fabric to make the seating more comfortable, and burgundy curtains to cover the windows.

"You two need to be on your best behaviour. You're new royals, so that will be in our favour. The other monarchs will want to speak to all of you, and you need to show them the best that The Kingdom of Spades has to offer," Yao explained. "Your best shot at industrial materials is with the Clubs, coal is with the Hearts and food is with the Diamonds. Becoming close to King Francis would be most beneficial for our cause."

"I'm excited, I wonder what the other Aces are like," Matthew sighed happily, crossing his arms over his chest as a smile crossed his lips.

"The Kingdom of Diamonds is already impressive; did you see how many people were there to greet us at the docks? They were so happy to see us, and we're not even their monarchs…" Arthur replied, his eyes widening as the carriage finally rolled to a stop.

"So, I'm going first?" Matthew asked, beginning to rise from his seat and pull the door handle.

"Yes, and then it is I, Arthur and then Alfred," Yao explained, as soon as Yao said that, Alfred smiled widely, "Alfred, I know what you're thinking: don't. This isn't a Spades tradition; ever Kingdom does it this way."

"Oh really?" Alfred chuckled, his smirk widening.

Yao could only sigh, knowing that Alfred could not be stopped as he rose from his seat and stepped out of the carriage. As soon as his back was turned, Alfred pulled Arthur in for a quick peck on the lips, still wearing that same smirk.

"Alfred…" Arthur sighed as Arthur rose from his seat next, ruining the royal order. "You're unbelievable."

"I know," Alfred chuckled, smiling at Arthur as he shuffled towards the door to the carriage, stepping out and officially breaking the royal order. "We're going to do our best here, Arthur, we're going to come home and our people will love us, I promise."

"I love you," Arthur said as Alfred turned from outside the carriage, extending his hand to Arthur, where the Queen took it, his skin warming to Alfred's touch.

"I love you too," Alfred replied as Arthur stepped out of the carriage and to the view of the world.

As soon as Arthur's eyes adjusted to the intense brightness of the Diamond Palace, Arthur saw the figures in gold standing by the door, with the eyes of the Diamond King focussing directly at him.


End file.
